You Consume Me
by BigRedMachineUK
Summary: She was beautiful, adventurous, carefree, and everything he ever wanted in a woman. One taste and he was hooked, abandoning everything and everyone he cared about to be with her. What he failed to see was the other side of her; a side that was dark, dangerous...deadly. Seth/OC
1. The First Hit

**_A/N: A long time ago I read a fic that blew my mind. I looked for it online not too long ago and couldn't find it. But I'll never forget it. This story is largely inspired by that one. I hope you like it._**

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><p>It was like encountering a beautiful storm and being in its eye. That's the only way I could describe what I went through with her.<p>

She breezed in and out of my life, staying just long enough to spin me around and turn my whole world upside down. Just like the wind, she danced away, slipping right through my fingers just when I thought I had caught up with her. Everything about her was so complicated, yet so simple. She was mysterious yet obvious, elusive yet corporeal, caring yet spiteful. Complex. Complicated. And if you mentioned all of that to her, she'd laugh and tell you she was the most straightforward person you'd ever meet.

Falling in love with her was dangerous but inevitable. Getting to know her, being with her made me feel powerful yet powerless at the same time. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't help myself from getting swept up in her essence, and when I fell in love, I fell hard.

But it nearly killed me.

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><p>The first time I met her was on a late spring night in the middle of April. I will never forget it. I was in Orlando, having just wrestled in front of a live Monday Night Raw audience as part of the NXT brand. We'd spent the entire week traveling around the country with the main roster, exploiting our chance to showcase ourselves to a larger audience before we returned to Full Sail. At that point I was a relative unknown in the wrestling business, so I was convinced she had no idea who I was, that she'd shown interest in me simply because I was a nice guy.<p>

For some ungodly reason, the Big Show had a sudden craving for Krispy Kreme doughnuts that night, and I was assigned the unenviable task of retrieving his late night snack. With my own money, for that matter. Being a lowly rookie, I knew better than to refuse his demand. I asked for one of my three roommates to accompany me, but Dean refused to go out at such an ungodly hour, not when it wasn't a nightclub we were going to. Antonio agreed with Dean, and Roman couldn't have cared less. He was busy with some girl he'd met at the arena. So that left me, the baby of the group, the pushover, to pull out my wallet and take the long, lonely walk to the convenience store and back.

Why the Big Show couldn't go himself, I can't remember. Maybe it had been to test me, like some kind of initiation. It's still not clear after all these years. All I can remember from that night is her.

She was leaning against a beat-up black Audi Sedan, her long jet-black hair floating around her in soft waves and her green eyes gleaming in the golden glow of the nearby street light. She didn't take her gaze off me as I walked past her with a box of doughnuts in my hands. I remember thinking that time that she might have been a…lady of the night, if you will. I was too polite to refer to her as a prostitute, at least not to her face.

"Got a lighter?"

Those were the first words she ever said to me. To this day, I still hear that voice, low, seductive, self-assured. I remember how it gripped me in place, how I felt compelled to give her a reply. I can still smell her; that exotic, flowery yet powerful scent that blended with the late night breeze. It's a scent that has never left my nostrils.

To say that I was nervous when she first spoke to me would be an understatement. My palms became sweaty and my pulse accelerated, certain I was about to be mugged. It was around two in the morning after all and we were in a virtually empty parking lot with no one else in sight. There was a danger lurking about her being, and I kept thinking of those ghastly Crime and Investigation programs where victims disappeared never to be seen again, and those that were found were either in a ditch somewhere or in chopped up pieces in a cookie jar or whatever. Still, I found myself speaking back, vaguely wondering why such a beautiful girl who looked around my age would be killing her lungs with those cancer sticks.

"Sorry, I don't smoke," I said.

And with those couple of words exchanged between us, the storm began to brew.

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><p>I saw her every day for the rest of that week. I never touched her, not inappropriately anyway, and she never made any advances towards me like I expected she would. She gave me her address that first night. "If you ever want to talk," she'd added as she told me. I had no pen or paper to write it down, but I never forgot it either. I was at her front door the very next day. The way we talked, the way I was at ease with her was as if I'd known her all my life. She wasn't particularly snoopy, just asked about my strangely-colored hair and what a nice-looking young guy like myself had been doing wandering around so late at night. I explained my dilemma with the Big Show to her but ensured not to mention his name. I didn't think I could afford to give her more details than that. Regal would kill me. However she never pressed me; never asked for more than I was ready to give.<p>

The night before we were to go back on the road again, I insisted on taking her out for dinner, even if it was just a takeout or something. It was the least I could do after letting me into her home for days without asking for anything in return. Luckily she agreed, and we went to a Denny's. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a meal as much as I did that night. We didn't leave the restaurant for another three hours. I nearly got in trouble with Regal and the other boys for missing curfew, but it didn't matter to me. She was all I could think about.

I kissed her that night. As she turned to walk up the steps to her house I pulled her back and pressed my lips to hers. It lasted less than a minute, but it was forever embossed on my brain. She tasted like fresh mint, a flavor I personally crave to this day.

The boys and I returned to Orlando in July with our name bigger than when we left, but that was not my main concern. I looked for my mystery girl but she was nowhere to be found. Her apartment had been rented out to someone else, and no one at the building had details of her whereabouts. She'd just vanished into thin air. I nearly went insane. I'd waited three whole months to see her again and she was gone, just like that, without any warning or notice.

The boys thought I was out of my mind to be so wound up about a girl I barely knew. She obviously didn't care about me enough to let me know she was leaving. Maybe it was for the better, they said. I didn't believe them. They didn't know her. They didn't understand how our relationship worked.

Roman soon pulled me aside and told me in a not-so-nice manner to snap out of it. If we were meant to be, I would see her again. For now I needed to focus on the work at hand. We were at a crucial stage in our career as members of the newly-formed trio The Shield, and there were whispers swirling around that we were about to head up to the main roster very soon. Our actions from now on could make or break us and he and Dean were depending on me. He was right, and so I forced myself to banish all thoughts of her and concentrate.

It was Roman, coincidentally, who introduced me to Melanie. She was about my age and was brought on board to model The Shield's women's merchandise to be printed on the website. Roman kept harping about how pretty she was and I should go talk to her. Eventually I did, just to shut him up at first, but I didn't regret it. She was pretty, smart, witty and charming. It turned out that she was a fan as well and had an understanding of our business, which was an added bonus. It wasn't long before we were dating. I couldn't have asked for a better girl.

Yet, I kept thinking about _her_.

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><p>The Shield made their long-awaited debut at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, dispatching of Ryback by power-bombing him through an announce table. The next couple of months were a complete whirlwind. We were recognized everywhere we went and we loved the attention from the press and the WWE fans. It was incredible. Dean, Roman and I had waited for this moment for so long, a dream that we'd all shared, and it was finally ours.<p>

A group of us decided to hit a club that night to celebrate, and Melanie and Roman's flavor of the week, Chelsea or something, were invited. Melanie tried to get me out on the dance floor but I was tired and just not feeling up to it. With a shrug, she went off to the dance floor with Antonio.

A while later I leaned over the balcony of the VIP section, looking down at the party-goers on the dance floor below me. Dean as usual was surrounded by women, and Roman and Shelly – I think her name was – were grinding up a storm beside Antonio and Melanie. My eyes wandered idly over the rest of the floor.

I couldn't believe it. It had been nearly six months from the last time I'd seen her. but there she was in the corner of the club, straddling some sleazebag who was groping her and had his tongue jammed down her throat. She seemed not to care at all. In fact, she seemed to be _enjoying_ it, even. Seeing her in his arms like that made me feel sick and betrayed, despite being with Melanie.

As though sensing she was being watched, she looked up, turned her head, and across several yards and one floor between us, our eyes met. I watched her intently, almost paralyzed by the familiar lazy smile that spread across her red lips. Man, this woman was trouble, but I knew deep down inside me that she was the kind of trouble that I would always want, no matter what.

All of a sudden, the music seemed too loud, there was too much noise, the club was too crowded, _everything_ seemed too much for me to bear. I jerked away from the balcony railing as though I'd been electrocuted, rushing out of the club ducking into a dark alley, I leaned against the brick wall of the building, shaking, breathing heavily and fighting back tears. That was how she found me. She looked absolutely amazing, from her skin-tight red dress to her long, flowing jet-black hair and those long legs that I suddenly, desperately wanted to feel wrapped around my waist. Her green eyes sparkled in amusement.

"It's been a while, Seth."

If I said anything in reply, I don't remember. I only remember that that night was the first time we had sex. It was the greatest night of my life. I'd had a couple of girlfriends and even groupies before, but none of them did to me what she did. I couldn't find enough adjectives to describe my experience. She blew me away, literally and figuratively, and once again, I knew I would only want more from her, more with her.

When I showed up at the hotel the next morning, it seemed as though a search party was about to be deployed for me. Regal got on my case for being late and straying from the group. Roman berated me for being careless while Melanie, with hurt in her eyes, quietly asked me where I'd disappeared to. They all looked at me with disappointment in their expressions, and I lied right to their faces without batting an eyelid. I felt no guilt or remorse. All I cared about was that I'd spent an unbelievable night with an unbelievably incredible girl, and nothing they said would bring me down from my high.

Nothing.

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><p><strong><em>There's just two chapters left. It's super short but I'll try to make it as eventful and entertaining as possible. Don't worry I haven't abandoned ITDE. I should have an update to that sometime this week.<em>**

**_Thoughts so far? Should I continue?_**


	2. The Addiction

_**Ooh, nice response so far. Thank you all, and special shout out to **__DarkAngelElektra__, nikki1335, __LuxuriaVanitas,__ StephanieLockedInTheTARDIS__** and **__Guest__** for the reviews.**_

_**This is part 2 of 3. Enjoy!**_

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><p>She was always there when I needed her. Always showed up, always made her presence felt somehow. Sometimes, even when I didn't realize I needed her, she would be there.<p>

I couldn't go through the day without picking up my cell phone, or the phone in my hotel room in some random city and calling her. I needed to hear her soothing, seductive voice on the other end, to feel like I'm right there with her, by her side. Sometimes I would be in the middle of a match or cutting a promo, or answering questions during some monotonous, brain-dead interview, and all I'm thinking in my mind is wishing I could be near her, be with her, be _inside_ her…

Whenever I got back home I would do all sorts of things to go be with her, things that I never would've expected of myself. I would constantly sneak out at night, away from Melanie, cut out of meeting with the guys just so I could see her. And boy was it worth it when I did. I had no inhibitions or hesitations or boundaries when I was with her. I've been said to be a little uptight personality-wise, according to Dean at least, but all of that disappeared in those stolen moments. We made love in the most daring of places – try inside a photo booth at a busy shopping mall in broad daylight, for one – and each memory is forever burned in my mind. I believed without a shadow of a doubt that she was the one for me and that we were in love. There was no other explanation for how I felt about her.

She always seemed to know when I started to have those amorous thoughts about her. Apparently the forlorn, pining look on my face constantly gave me away. Our relationship wasn't defined, not by any means, but I doubt I was hiding the fact that I wanted to be more than just fuck buddies with her. In response she would mess with my emotions and play some cruel mind games on me. Sometimes I'd arrive at her house and she'd be with another man. Another man that she'd obviously just slept with. At times they would be on their way out, zipping up their pants and wiping remnants of her lipstick off their faces, other times I would walk in on them having sex. Each time I would scream and yell at her, throwing things around in a rage. One time I actually attacked one of them. Beat the shit out of him right in front of her. Simply because I felt, inexplicably, that he had encroached my territory. And every single time she would simply lay in her bed, watching me with amusement until my fury subsided, then she'd crook her index finger at me. And just like that I was back in her arms. I learned the hard way that she wasn't a monogamous type of woman. She didn't let them stay for more than a night, that's if they were lucky enough to even get that far. She just wanted a bed warmer and that was it. It was ludicrous of me to think I would be the guy to change her, to get her to settle her down. But I didn't care. I wanted to try. I wanted to be the only one for her, just as she was the only one for me.

Looking back on my behavior during that time, I still cannot believe it was me; the quiet, nerdy, unadventurous Seth Rollins. It was so unlike my character. It was as though she'd triggered the desperate, senseless part of me that even I hadn't known existed and exploited it. She knew me very well, probably better than I knew myself. And yet I didn't know her at all. And she would never disclose much either. I remember asking her tons of questions. What school did she go to? Did she have any siblings? Where were her parents? I found it strange that she would be living in a house all by herself like that. But she would laugh off all my questioning and instead silence me with a kiss and a touch that made me forget my own name.

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><p>It was an unbearably hot morning, and a heated debate had ensued between me, Roman and Dean over nothing. I noticed I'd been getting testier with them lately. After an hour had passed and the bickering hadn't subsided, I walked out on them without offering an explanation. When Melanie offered to come with me I turned her down. I felt bad for treating her so harshly but I just needed to get out of there, to have some breathing space. I was so fed up with everyone and everything.<p>

I stormed out of Roman's home, and lo and behold, there she was. How she knew where Roman lived, I had no idea. She, in her omnipresent, all-knowing demeanor, didn't explain it either. She just leaned against her Sedan, smoking a cigarette, and smiled when she saw me. I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life.

Jerking her head in the direction of her car, she asked if I wanted to go for a ride. Clear my head and all. I was by her side immediately, and we left the hotel behind.

Sitting on the rooftop of her house, she asked me if I was nervous about my fast-growing success, if I was afraid of burning out at such a young age. When I admitted that I was, she just shook her head and laughed that low, sexy laugh of hers that made desire fill every one of my bones.

"You worry too much, Seth," she said, passing her blunt to me and smiling as I took another long drag. "You're lucky to be in the position you are in now. You could go on to be as big a star as Hulk Hogan was, or you could be dropped by the WWE tomorrow or have an injury that could end your career. It doesn't matter. Just go with the flow, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anybody. There's no point in worrying."

Between rounds of lovemaking and pot-smoking, we talked some more. Her attitude about life, poles apart from my own, was intoxicating, eye-opening. She made me see things about life in a different light and made things I thought were a big deal for me look pretty unimportant. She was a "live for the moment" kind of person. Though I didn't think I could ever be like that, I found it highly refreshing.

All of this only served to fuel my addiction. This girl was a drug I needed to have. With her, I forgot about all my stress and troubles waiting for me in the real world, and I was always in a state of withdrawal when I wasn't with her.

I think Melanie knew, even then, that there was someone else. She never confronted me about it, though, never said a single word to indicate that she was suspicious. But I knew she knew. Every time I came home after disappearing for a day or two, whenever I returned smelling like a mix of perfume and weed, she'd look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers, silently begging me to tell the truth. I never did, and I had no intention to. I answered only to one person now.

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><p>We had to leave home again to go back on the road, and I gave her my new phone number, begging her to call. In the process of waiting for the elusive call, I pushed Melanie away again. The sane part of the corner of my mind often wondered why she was still with me even when she knew I was doing her wrong. She would tell me she loved me, and I knew she did. I would mouth the words to her, but only because I felt like I had to, like it was a tedious obligation. I never meant to hurt Melanie, but I knew I did every time I ran off in search of her.<p>

Again, months passed and there was no word from my mystery girl. I became more and more irritable with everyone. I went off on everyone more often, I avoided social gatherings and obligations, and I hated spending time with my friends, the boys included. Sami suffered the most because he was closest to me and I knew he would bear the brunt of my anger without ever insulting me back. My Canadian friend has never been the confrontational type. I have to admit that was the only thing I regretted during that time in my life; the way I hurt those who truly loved me and had the best intentions for me, and that included the other boys.

I was about to turn twenty-seven years old when I woke up and realized that I was being a complete moron. I had everything that I had ever dreamed of in life – the money, the fame, the respect and the accolades – and I was letting some Carmen Sandiego wannabe ruin it for me? Well that was all about to end. She wasn't worth it, not anymore. Having made that decision, I poured all my energy into my work and my relationship with Melanie, and became much better for it.

The Shield was becoming must-see TV. We were closing out Raw, SmackDown and house shows and main-eventing pay-per-views. We were described as a breath of fresh air by critics and had garnered so many devoted fans all over the world. Everyone wanted a piece of the Hounds of Justice. I began to truly enjoy myself, and I soon returned to the Seth that everyone had missed for so long. Melanie and I became inseparable. She was everything that I'd dreamt of and more; beautiful, loving, devoted. I was on top of the world. I had a career people could only dream of, great friends, a wonderful family and team supporting me, and a beautiful blonde beauty by my side.

Slowly but surely, thoughts of my illicit beauty stopped haunting my dreams and thoughts and all my free moments. I felt free, like a phoenix risen from the ashes.

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><p>She reappeared the day I asked Mel to marry me. I stepped out of the restaurant where the surprise engagement party was taking place to make a phone call, and I saw her in the parking lot. She looked just as incredible as the last time I saw her, smelled just as incredible and, as I quickly discovered, tasted more incredible than ever.<p>

I knew it was wrong from the minute I had kissed her in the parking lot. And I knew that it still felt too right to be wrong. Or maybe I had hoped to use that as an excuse for my conscience.

We were lying in bed that night, still intimately joined, her head resting on my chest as we both came down from our high, when she said:

"So you're getting married."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, almost nonchalant even, and deep down I hoped that she was jealous. But I knew better. She was never jealous, and that was simply because she never felt anything for any of the men she had wrapped around her finger, myself included. But I was with her now, and that was all that mattered to me. I fell asleep, my body tangled with hers and my heart swollen with content.

There wasn't a week that passed during the first year of my engagement that I didn't see her. I went back to my old sneaky ways, avoiding everyone to meet with her. Melanie knew every time, too. As usual, she never confronted me about it, but I saw the look on her face every time I fed her lousy excuses. For whatever reason, though, I couldn't stop myself from feeding my addiction, and I continued to cause poor Mel pain.

When I asked Melanie to move in with me, she was thrilled. I could tell that my fiancée was hoping that now that we would be living together, I would finally settle down and quit seeking out my raven-haired temptress.

Boy, was she was wrong.

We made it to a second WrestleMania. I snuck away from the party that was thrown in our honor and instead of going home like I told everyone, I went straight to her house. I poured all my happiness into our intimate celebration that night. I was happy again, happier than I had ever been in the past year. Being with her was just as big a joy for me as all the success The Shield was experiencing, something like a dream I never wanted to wake up from.

But it wasn't long before it descended into a horrible nightmare.

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><p><em><strong>Thoughts? Kindly review!<strong>_


	3. The Epiphany

_**A/N: Big, big thanks to **__LuxuriaVanitas__, benova13__, __corbettluv__, guest, Guest__** and **__StephanieLockedInTheTARDIS__** for the last reviews!**_

_**The final chapter. Enjoy!**_

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><p>I'm not sure when exactly I began to see things clearly. When you're so taken with a person, you can't see their dark side or their vices. I can't remember when I began to see those weaknesses, but when I did, it felt like a whole new world was opening up to me; a world I never want to venture into again.<p>

She did a lot of hard drugs and drank more alcohol than she did water. She smoked two, three packs of cigarettes a day, and when she wasn't in the mood for cigarettes, it was weed or cocaine or even heroin. She would shoplift and jack expensive cars from the rich and famous and go for joyrides in them. I'm not proud of the fact that I joined her quite a number of times. I was shocked to find out her trusty black Sedan was actually a stolen car, a gift to herself for her "hard work". She nearly stole Sami's car from his driveway once before I realized whose home we were outside of. I nearly had a heart attack. She only looked at me and laughed snidely. She would call my loyalty to the people I cared about silly and childish. A day never went by without her insulting Melanie, telling me how "that blonde bitch" was holding me back. She told me that I was better off without her, better off without the boys and my family.

I believed her. And like clockwork, my relationship with Melanie began to deteriorate all over again, severely this time. I quickly stopped caring about anything she did for me or anything she had to say to me. We would have huge rows and I would rejoice inside whenever she stormed out on me, and seized the chance to go find my beautiful temptress. I didn't need Melanie; it wasn't her I needed.

One day the guys and I were going over our upcoming match with the members of the Wyatt Family. I didn't want to be there and I made sure they all knew it. I couldn't be bothered anymore with The Shield. As far as I was concerned, we'd gone as far as we could go as a trio. Hell, I was already tiring of life in the WWE and wrestling as a whole, which should have been absurd. Ten plus years I had spent in the business and never once had I complained, until now. But it made perfect sense to me. After all, I'd already made all the money I needed to keep me and my family provided for the rest of my life. It was bad enough already that I was spending so much time away from the love of my life. During one of our breaks I overheard Bray, Dean and Roman talking about me, with the Samoan threatening to give me a piece of his mind. Dean had replied that I wouldn't listen, that they were better off ignoring my attitude and just working on the match. It was the best idea he had ever come up with.

Everyone in my life began to distance themselves from me. Everyone, that is, except her. I was so caught up in my addiction, caught up in her, that I didn't care who I hurt. As long as she was by my side, no one else mattered.

I would come to regret that sooner rather than later.

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><p>The first time I watched her take a life, I was horrified. How could such a beautiful girl do something so heinous? A poor teenage boy for that matter. He owed her money for the heroin she supplied him and all he wanted was an extension on his back payments. She stabbed him. Right there in the middle of her living room. When she saw my mouth hanging open in shock, she shrugged, like it was an insect she'd stepped on.<p>

"Relax, baby," she told me, kicking the lifeless body aside. She brushed away the traces of cocaine from her nose. "He's in a better place now. He won't need those terrible drugs anymore. Come now." Then she took me to bed and tried to soothe me, as if her touch would automatically erase my memory.

I witnessed her kill four more after that. I kept quiet about all of it, but it didn't stop me from feeling sick to my stomach. Just who was this girl that I'd been throwing myself at for the last couple of years?

The night I couldn't give her money when she needed it, she physically assaulted me. Usually, I didn't care how much of my hard-earned cash I was handing over to her because I had more than enough to give. We stood in front of the ATM machine and when the machine told me my card had reached its expiration date, she went berserk. Her eyes were wild and maniacal as she bent over me, tightening her grip on my throat as she screamed at me. I eventually managed to calm her down, but this was the first time that I truly, actually feared for my life. The alarm bells were ringing in my head now.

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><p>The day she threatened Roman's five-year-old daughter, Anya, I knew things had to end. Roman had enough trust left in me – maybe it was actually more for Mel's benefit than anything as she adored the little girl – to leave Anya in our home while he took his fiancée on a well-deserved night out alone. Melanie had stopped by to see our sickly neighbor next door and I had left Anya watching TV in the living room in order to get her something to eat. When I came back, the object of my addiction stood there in the middle of the living room with a visibly frightened Anya in her arms. In her hand was a kitchen knife, held up to the poor child's throat. It suddenly clicked in my brain that I had once given her a key to the house I shared with my fiancée. She wanted money and she wanted it <em>now<em>, she screamed. As I pleaded with her to let Anya go, everything that I'd ever felt for this beautiful woman shriveled up and died inside me.

Melanie returned home in the midst of the ongoing chaos. Instead of joining me in begging for Anya's life, she pulled a gun out of her bag. I watched with morbid fascination as she demanded that Anya be released. I remember her telling me that her father was a Gulf War veteran. Clearly he'd shown her a thing or two about guns. Scared shitless by Melanie's gun, she released Anya, and as she scampered out of the house, followed closely by my gun-toting fiancée, she shouted;

"This isn't over, not by any means! I know you, Seth, better than you know yourself! You'll come crawling back to me. You always do!"

After she was gone, Melanie checked on Anya and comforted her, coldly ignoring me the whole time. Then, as she threw me out of our apartment, she gave me an ultimatum. I had to choose either her or the woman that had just threatened to harm an innocent child, the daughter of one of my best friends. Either I got rid of the woman who clearly had a chokehold on my life or face losing my fiancée forever. She still had the box that the engagement ring had come in. I was to let her know what my decision was, and that she would return the ring to me if need be as well as move out of the apartment.

Listening to all of this, I was suddenly struck by how stupid I'd been. For the first time I saw clearly, like _clearly_. I didn't want to lose Melanie at all. I loved her, had always loved her, despite being fooled into thinking I loved another. That very moment I knew what I had to do. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was the only way I could protect the ones I loved.

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><p>I met her that night at the rooftop of her home, the place where we'd shared so many memories, memories I now wanted erased from my psyche. She stood there, and I saw that knowing smile light up her face. It scared me how I'd been blind to her madness for so long.<p>

"I'm not here for what you think," I told her, my chin raised defiantly, returning her unwavering stare. "I'm only here because I finally see you for what you are, because I realize what a fool I've been. You're a psychotic, deranged, attention-seeking, murderous whore with far too many addictions to count. It makes me sick to think that I spent so many years pushing so many people away, people that actually love me and care about me, to follow you around like a lovesick puppy. Well, not anymore. You and I are done. After tonight, I never want to see you again."

She listened to my words, still smiling that creepy smile of hers, and then she laughed. And laughed. And laughed. The sound that I'd once thought so sexy and seductive, but now only thought of as maniacal.

"You'll never be rid of me, Seth. You're too weak to walk away. You _belong_ to me. So say whatever you want, but it's never going to happen and you know it."

"She's right, Seth."

I spun around to see Melanie standing at the door leading to the rooftop, holding that gun that she'd brandished just hours before. What the hell was she doing here?

"I knew you wouldn't do what was necessary to make sure that we'd never have to deal with her again." Her eyes and gun were aimed at the other girl. "But you have to do it. You don't have a choice."

"Oh, but he does," she sneered, not even bothering to look at Melanie. "We always have choices in life, don't we, Seth? And you have one now. Either you let your little bitch girlfriend shoot me with that gun – because I know you don't have the balls to do it yourself – or you can come stand by me, where you belong and get rid of _her_ once and for all. What's it gonna be, Seth?"

"Seth," Melanie's eyes filled with tears. "This is the only way. All of this started with you. It has to end with you or we'll never be free of her."

I was at a crossroads here. Mel was right. I knew I had to do something. But if anyone ever found out about this, not only would I become a murderer, but the boys and the company would be affected as well. I couldn't let Roman, Dean and everyone else pay for the crime I was about to commit.

I looked away from Melanie and over at her, and I saw her smug expression. She knew I wouldn't have the guts to do anything. She knew, and it disgusted me that this parasite could understand me so well.

With shaking hands, I took my girlfriend's gun and pointed it at the young woman I'd followed everywhere. The woman I thought I was in love with. The woman whom I realized much too late was a danger to my life and the lives of those I loved.

Several moments passed before I finally lowered my aim, keeping the gun to my side. As I began slowly walking towards her, she grinned widely at me in triumph. I met her where she stood at the edge of the rooftop, where we always gazed at the stars after making love.

"I told you so, didn't I?" she told me, giggling. "You're mine, Seth. You'll always be mine."

I took in her words, let them swirl in my mind until they were imbedded in my brain. Lifting my head, I looked her right in the eye and said:

"Not anymore."

And I pushed her off the roof.

* * *

><p><em>Three weeks later…<em>

I stared down listlessly at the engravings etched in the slab of marble that adorned the grave. I felt nothing except for a shiver crawling up my spine at the amount of control I'd given the breathtaking young woman who laid underneath the grave over my life for nearly four years, and how she'd nearly destroyed me with it.

All that time I thought I was experiencing the passion and freedom I'd always craved with her. Instead, she'd merely preyed on everything I believed in. I was glad I'd had the strength to do what I did. The thought of killing someone had seemed scandalous to me before, but now I realized it was down to her influence. Had I never met her, I would never have been capable of something like that. It was safe to say she had died by her own creation.

Melanie and I have never spoken about what happened to each other or to anyone else since that night and we have no plans to. I thank my lucky stars everyday for my career, the boys, my family and especially my beautiful, brave fiancée. I'm marrying her in the summer and I plan to give her the family, the attention and the love that she deserves. That _I_ deserve.

Rising back to my feet, I looked up into the sky and took a deep, relieved breath.

The storm was over, and it was now buried six feet underground.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And thus ends my mini adventure away from my other project Into the Deep End. Hope you liked it. I know there wasn't many elements of the typical fanfic (i.e. smut) but I needed this to be a little different. Thanks for reading and kindly let me know what you think. :)<strong>_


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